Page 213 (1/2)

‘No! Not if you help me Help me, L’oric Just you-not even Heboric! He would seek to kill Bidithal, and that cannot be’

‘Heboric? I want to kill Bidithal!’

‘You mustn’t You can’t He has power-’

He saw the shudder run through her at that

L’oric hesitated, then said, ‘I have healing salves, elixirs… but you will need to stay hidden for a time’

‘Here, in Toblakai’s te water A tent’

‘Yes!’

The rage that burned in hiled to control it, his resolve sporadically weakened by doubts that he was doing the right thing This was… monstrous There would be an answer to it There would have to be an answer to it

Even more monstrous, he realized with a chill, they had all known the risk We kneanted her Yet we did nothing

Heboric lay ry, thirsty, but it remained remote Hen’bara tea, in sufficient amounts, pushed the needs of the outer world away Or so he had discovered

Hissea, and it see Sha’ik wanted truths She would get them And then he was done, done with her

And probably done with life, as well

So be it He had grown older than he had ever expected to, and these extra weeks andbut worth the effort He had sentenced his own god to death, and now Fener would not be there to greet him when he finally stepped free of his flesh and bones Nor would Hood, come to that

It did not seem he would awaken from this-he had drunk far more of the tea than he ever had before, and he had drunk it scalding hot, when it was most potent And now he floated on a dark sea, an invisible liquid war over his liiant of jade elcome to him To his soul, and to whatever was left of his days as avanished, the visions of secrets hidden froone He was old He was blind